Execution by beheading is a highly symbolic act. The grisly image of the severed head evokes a particular social and cultural location, functioning as a channel of figurative discourse specific to a place and time-dissuading nonideal behavior as well as expressing and reinforcing group boundary demarcations and ideological assumptions. In short, a bodiless head serves as a discursive vehicle of communication: though silenced, it speaks. Employing social memory theory and insights from a thorough analysis of ancient ideology concerning beheading, A Dangerous Parting explores the communicative impact of the tradition of John the Baptist's decapitation in the first three centuries of the Common Era. Nathan Shedd argues that the early memory of the Immerser's death is characterized by a dangerous synchroneity. On the one hand, John's beheading, associated as it was with Jesus' crucifixion, served as the locus of destabilizing and redistributing the degradation of a victim who undergoes bodily violence; both John and Jesus were mutually vindicated as victims of somatic violence. On the other hand, as John's head was remembered in the second and third century, localized expressions of the "Parting of the Ways" were inscribed onto that parted head with dangerous anti-Jewish implications. Justin Martyr and Origen represent an attempt to align John's beheading and Jesus' crucifixion along a cultural schematic that asserted the destitution of non-Christ-following Jews and, simultaneously, alleged Christians' ethical, ideological, and spiritual supremacy. A Dangerous Parting uncovers interpretive possibilities of John's beheading, especially regarding the deep-rooted patterns of thinking that have animated indifference to acts of physical violence against Jews throughout history. With this work, Shedd not only pushes John the Baptist research forward to consider the impact of this figure in early expressions of Jewish and Christian distinction, but also urges scholars and students alike to contemplate the ethics of reading ancient texts.
Nathan L. Shedd, PhD (St. Mary's University, Twickenham) is an adjunct instructor at William Jessup University (Rocklin, CA) and Johnson University (Knoxville, TN).
Introduction: A History of Violence 1 Violence Exposed: Social Memory Theory and the Negotiation of Trauma 2 Cultures of Violence: Beheading in the Ancient World 3 Contesting Violence: John's Beheading and Degradation in the Gospel of Mark 4 The Violence of Memory: Christian Identity via Anti-Jewish Polemic Conclusion: Reading Beyond Violence
Shedd's conclusion is worth reading more than once as he proposes both a critique against taking the easy interpretive route on violence and opportunities for future research into the topic. This volume is highly recommended for research libraries and for those who wish to work with social memory or violence/trauma studies. --Stan Harstine, Friends University "Religious Studies Review" Whether your interest is in the figure of John the Baptist, the latest methods for exploring the reception and history of interpretation of ancient texts, or the ethics of how stories are retold, Nathan Shedd's A Dangerous Parting contains valuable insights that make it well worth reading. --James F. McGrath "Reading Religion" A Dangerous Parting is an excellent example of the application of social memory theory to the study of the Gospels and makes a significant contribution to our understanding of how John the Baptist's death was commemorated as a means of overcoming a potentially dishonorable and problematic death--not only in the Synoptic Gospels but also in the second and third centuries C.E. Shedd's analysis of the ancient Mediterranean cultural scripts of beheading should be, in my view, required reading for all who study the Gospels. Along the way, Shedd makes another important contribution to our understanding of the commemorative ideologies involved in the so-called Parting of the Ways. --Joshua W. Jipp "Catholic Bible Quarterly" ...Shedd's fascinating study throws fresh light on a very memorable death. Readers interested in reception history, early Jewish-Christian relations, and the ethics of memory will benefit from this book. --James Schetelich "Fides et Historia" ...Shedd is meticulous in his historical research, and he illuminates the early reception of Herod's beheading of John. Valuable for supporting study of the New Testament gospels and early Jewish-Christian relations. -- "Choice"
